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Primary Day Guide: Congressional Races to Watch

By

WSJ Staff

Jun 25, 2012 12:39 pm ET

Although Tuesday’s primary contests aren’t expected to be high-turnout affairs, there are four closely watched battles on ballots across New York City with important stakes and unpredictable outcomes (if few major policy disagreements).

Here’s a handy guide of what to watch on primary day, with a look back at The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the key contests.

Can Rangel Hold On? All eyes are on veteran Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel, who is facing the strongest primary challenge of his four-decade career from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat. The 82-year-old Rangel has been made increasingly vulnerable due to a 2010 investigation into ethics violations as well as the changing demographics of his congressional district:

Mr. Rangel is vulnerable largely because his Harlem-centered congressional district is no longer dominated by African-Americans. Instead, a majority of the voting-age population there is Hispanic, many of whom are Dominican-Americans, like the 57-year-old Mr. Espaillat.